A little history... One of the first settlers to arrive in Port de France, Pierre Canel was granted a parcel of land in Vallée de l’Infanterie (now Vallée des Colons) by the colony’s government in 1858, where he built one of the town's first stone houses. In 1863, Jean Taragnat, a Marist Brother who was one of the first Catholic missionaries to land in Balade in 1843, bought the property. Relieved of his vows in 1852, he married Jeanne Gouge and had two daughters with her. The property he bought included outbuildings and a residential house that he renovated. He also intended to build a large residence next door, but he died in 1878 before he could carry out his plans. His daughter, Anne-Marie, and his son-in-law, Georges Marcel Préveraud de Sonneville, inherited the land. Based on Jean Taragnat's plans, they built “Villa au Banian” between 1889 and 1892. In 1903, the couple sold the property to Lucy Hagen, the widow of Nicolas Frédéric Hagen. After living and working in Australia, Nicolas Hagen had settled in New Caledonia and set up a large trading company. The property’s name was then changed to “Ratisbonne” after the French name for city in Bavaria that the Hagens came from (Regensburg). From 1916 to 1947, the eldest of the twelve Hagen children, John-Charles Nicolas Hagen or “Tiby”, lived in what was to become “Château Hagen” with his family (Text: L. Talbi).
Classified as a New Caledonian heritage site, the château and its gardens now play host to a number of cultural events for young and old throughout the year: exhibitions, film screenings, dance performances, plays, concerts, and themed days and evenings.
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